The Reality of the Matter
A More Defined Industry
The advertising scene in Dubai is a true reflection of the city itself. Always challenged, but finding ways to adapt quickly and evolve. A true tale of survival of the fittest. I believe 2016 eliminated a lot of mediocrity and promoted healthier, more aggressive competition, not only in our industry but across most businesses. It instilled a constant need for intelligence and innovation. From a numbers perspective, I would say ‘the glass half full’ pretty much sums up the year. Q4 is done and dusted for the most part. The real conversation that started back in August was around what’s in store for 2017 and I am no clairvoyant, but I see more of the same.
The Changing Face of Creativity
‘Traditional Agency Model’ – what the heck does that even mean? Really! I was and will always be a great believer in big ideas that impact businesses and that is the business Impact BBDO is in. That has been the case for years but the way we go about it has of course evolved with the explosion of online/mobile and the associated access to real-time information to fuel our intelligence. Besides that, what really changed? We are still about understanding people (consumers) and still about serving them the right message at the right time and in the right context. Do we need to know how to program an app or schedule a digital media plan? No. We have expert partners to do that. How can advertising agencies be labeled ‘traditional’ when those same agencies are the ones leading the ‘creative evolution’ and redefining the standards year-on-year in the regional and global award shows. I am yet to see media companies and consultancies competing with that proposition – so for now, I will continue to call them ‘field experts’. One would wonder though, what stops these companies from nicking the best creative talent? Well, some have started, but naive as I may sound I believe that the same talent won’t last there. These companies are not in the business of creativity. For them, it is a means to sell their own product or service but for us, it is a ‘raison d'être’. That, for me, is fundamental.